DITFCarbon fibers from beech wood

Scientists and politicians at the High-Performance Fiber Center, the state-of-the-art center for high-performance fibers at the DITF.

Beech wood is a sustainable and CO2-neutral raw material. Although available in abundance, it has not been utilized to date. On August 9, 2019, the Ministry for Rural Areas and Consumer Protection of the state of Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart/Germany reached a research collaboration agreement with the German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) in Denkendorf/Germany. In the planned research center for hardwoods, DITF scientists will investigate carbon fibers from beech wood.The research center will connect 8 research teams from different institutes and serve as a touch point for industry. The DITF is tasked to develop economic and environmentally friendly production processes for cellulose and lignin fibers made from beech wood for technical applications. In the laboratory, carbon fibers have already been successfully produced from beech pulp and beech lignin using a new process that saves energy costs.This raw material is based on crude oil and the production of carbon fiber from this precursor produces toxic by-products that have to be cleaned at great expense. Advantages in reducing process costs and improving the ecology of carbon fiber production based on cellulose and lignin fibers can be seen.